Is this a Return of the Drought?

During the summer months precipitation is normally highly variable due to the increase of mositure and frequency of thunderstorms.

Often, with thunderstorms, one area can see heavy rainfall while adjacent communities may receive little or no rain. This has been the case this summer across the Northland.

A persistent area of high pressure to the south kept areas of southern MN/WI dry. To the North, waves of moisture wrapping around a Hudson's Bay low pressure system resulted in a number of showers and storms across northern Minnesota and Upper Michigan. The charts below show the precipitation discrepancy between north and south and the re-emerging drought situation.